I see that there are some reasonably priced lion hunts in RSA. I was wondering if anyone has been on one and if they are very sporting and what I can expect the trophy quality to be.

I understand that it won't be the same as hunting were there are no fences, I don't think I will be able to afford that, but I want it to be a real hunt, not you pay to shoot lion #xyz and you go find xyz and shoot him and are back for lunch.

Jamied, there are some really good, places to hunt lion in SA places of 25 000+ acres, it it is true that there are long arguments regarding hunts in SA and some are true I feel it depends on the area and size as well as operational integrity??

In the same breath as a wildlife biologist I can argue the sustainability of lion hunting in the so called wild but It will never be solved as this argument has bee raging on for 2 decades.

1. Reputable outfitter
2 Size of property
3 Good research as you are doing now.

I see you have hunted in RSA and Zim so you should have a good idea of what happens with lions in RSA. I haven't been on a lion hunt but I have some Pommy mates who hunted plains game on a ranch that bred lions. In fact they used them as a sort of guard dog. Get through the gate or through the lion enclosure first before you get to the house. It was quite a deterent.

You will get a very nice quality lion depending on how much you pay and outfitters will push the sale of one.

If I could afford it I'd shoot one no worrys just for the experience, but I would not claim it as a trophy.

I would have no problem claiming your lion as a trophy if the size of the fenced property is big enough. Unless you are shooting it in a cage things could go wrong at any moment- that is why theya are called dangerous game! A lot of people complain about fenced hunts & have never hunted behind one. - I've been on good ones & bad ones. Do your homework, and be happy with the decision you make. It's your money & you only have to answer to yourself.

I would have no problem claiming your lion as a trophy if the size of the fenced property is big enough. Unless you are shooting it in a cage things could go wrong at any moment- that is why theya are called dangerous game! A lot of people complain about fenced hunts & have never hunted behind one. - I've been on good ones & bad ones. Do your homework, and be happy with the decision you make. It's your money & you only have to answer to yourself.

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+1, Size of the property, show long the lion has been free in the fence and reputation of the outfitter come into play. Check references! Ask about how the hunt played out?

I believe if the fenced-off land is large enough to create a hunt ie where there is ample opportunity for the cat to avoid you, see you coming from miles away, hide from you in places you won't run into again and again and again... The cat won't be able to migrate 1000 miles in any direction like on unfenced areas, but it's a cat: intelligent, cunning, and potentially dangerous.

Hope you find your lion and hunt it the way you want to. Hope it takes at least a few days of hard tracking and...

Agree with most of what has been posted. Size of area and integrity of operator are the two critical aspects. I hunted a lion last year just south of Botswanna in Kalahari-sand area by tracking. I was fortunate - the lion had made a kill, and didn't want to get to far from it. Still led us on a merry chase for many hours - always interesting to see lion tracks on top of your own footprints! We saw him a number of times as we pushed him, which was helpful in getting the adrenalin up. Overall it was a great experience, and I would recommend it.

I don't agree that you can't or shouldn't claim the lion as a "trophy." I agree that it perhaps shouldn't be entered into a record book, but I worked harder for the lion than I did for a sable (of the free-ranging Zimbabwean variety) which made the record book. As well, a tracking hunt for cats is an experience all its own, and in my case was as or more exciting than sitting in a blind and waiting for a leopard.

One final comment. I rarely hear people raising ethical issues with respect to hunting animals other than lions on game farms, at least as long as the area is big enough. I'm not sure why lions are treated differntly. In fact, if the species is to survive outside of large parks, then game farms may well be something to be encouraged. And the best way to encourage game farms is to hunt them.

We are talking areas (for the most part of 12000 acres or larger) I believe that if one has not done these hunts before that you would be commenting out of inexperience and pretty much reacting to a hype that has been created around it.

As mentioned on another thread I would much rather have this as the norm than pressure an already dwindling free roaming wild lion population. Anyone thinking that I or we hunt these poor happless lions in a pen are under the wrong impression the average man on this site will not be able to cover the circumfrance of these properties in a day and a half, so I am not even willing to entertain the pen argument.

I'd hunt these cats until the end of days, much rather than I would the other option, I must admit I have hunted both, and honestly I prefer the tracking method on the big ranches, interesting fact as someone that guides 10 + of these hunts a season I have video proof that about 5-7 of them charge unprevocked.

Well said it is not only beneficial for the conservation of wild lions but also instrumental in insuring that clients will always have the opportunity in experiencing a lion hunt.

Having also hunted both Wild and Captive bread lions I will admit that each is a wonderful experience in its own way but if you are under the impression that these lions are tame kitty cats that just get shot in a "pen" you are sadly mistaken, all wild animals are dangerous and entering their domain without a clear understanding and respect for their capabilities can lead to a very heated situation.

I will say that even though captive bread lions are not the ideal situation they do ensure that there will always be wild lions to hunt for the lucky few, there is a lion bone trade showing its ugly head and if it is not for the captive bread lions we will no doubt see more pouching of wild lions.

All and all I think this form of hunting is a success story if you are looking at the big picture.

I dont see any difference between hunting a lion, or any other animals, as long as the area are large enough. I think Capstick got this completely wrong. I have to assume, the lion has been free for more than a few weeks. They have to get time to make the wild their home. Its the same with all of the animals that dont breed out in the wild on the gamefarms.

....I rarely hear people raising ethical issues with respect to hunting animals other than lions on game farms, at least as long as the area is big enough. ...

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The question is raised here all the time. Fences and ethical.
By "here", I mean at home (Canada).
This is done by those hunters who are lucky enough to live in a country that still has huge open spaces and lots of game.
We have National parks equaling 24.27% of the entire area of RSA and only 3.2% of our area.

The total area of South African National Parks (SANParks) 37,000 sq. km
This is less than half the size of ONE National park in my Province (44,400 sq. km).

So, suffice to say that their is a strong value placed on "free roaming" wildlife. Pretty easy when you have all that space in the second largest country in the world.

Our aversion to "fenced hunting" here is also well rooted in the value system of "fair chase" hunting, as set out in Boone and Crockett. The system that all North American game trophies here are measured under. No Fenced game allowed!

So, there is a clear disconnection between the ongoing differences in local hunting and conservation issues.
49 Million people in an area of 1,200,000 Sq KM vs 32 Million People in 9,094,507 Sq. Km creates a major difference.

At home, I will not hunt behind a fence for typically wild species. (I hope we manage to be able to keep enough large space that is always the case) In Africa I wrapped my mind around the idea of fences. I made sure that the property/farm/concession was large enough that my quarry could evade me in a fair chase. In fact several species did evade me completely.

There are no "free ranging" lions out side parks or large reserves in RSA. No wolves in England either.
Too many people and not enough space.

There is obviously a demand for hunting Lions.
Hunters have to choose how they will go about selecting their hunts and support the best practices.

A Legend in my own mind!"one hundred grains in the right place is worth a thousand in the wrong." Captain Brocklehurst

Whether it be a 10 acre pen or a 10,000 acre ranch its still a canned hunt, that you can't get away from. I don't see what aggression and unprovoked charges has to do with anything either thats just the animal being its self. If this is sporting then save the average US sportsman the trouble with the flight over to Africa and just set up some ranches in Texas and release them there, its the same thing. If people are happy to do this and kid themselves that its the real deal then good for them but its not something I'd ever wish to be involved in and can not class it as the good honest sport of lion hunting.